


This Love Is Good

by turquoisetopaz



Series: Spencer Reid Prompts [3]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Drunk confessions, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Secret dating, Sharing a Bed, Spencer is adorable basically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25535017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turquoisetopaz/pseuds/turquoisetopaz
Summary: Based on the three prompts: "The different ways Spencer shows love." + "Secret Dating." + "Reader has a nightmare."-"The number of pathogens passed during a handshake is staggering. It's actually safer to kiss.""Well if you insist."
Relationships: Spencer Reid/Reader, Spencer Reid/You
Series: Spencer Reid Prompts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1842043
Comments: 4
Kudos: 161





	This Love Is Good

**Author's Note:**

> This is my tenth fic! I'm super excited about it. Shout out to the anon on tumblr who sent me these prompts.

-

You'd wanted to work for the FBI since you were a child. Your Father had worked for the Intelligence Branch of the FBI for 25 years. So growing up, you'd spent some time at their headquarters in Washington.

You studied Criminal Psychology at NYU, in the hopes that you could one day work for the Behavioural Analysis Unit. It took years of hard work at college, and then as an FBI intern, before you had the chance to join the team.

At the age of 27, you could not believe that your dreams were coming true.

Meeting the team had been a surreal experience. You'd heard stories about them, from your Father, from his co workers, and you were beyond excited to work with them.

Penelope and JJ were sweet; Emily was encouraging; Rossi was intimating and you were a little in awe of him; Derek was funny and put you at ease. Hotch was the only one you'd already met before, he was an old friend of your Father, and you were reassured knowing he was in charge.

The team member you had been particularly intrigued to meet was the elusive Doctor Reid. All the stories you'd heard about him were fascinating. His intelligence was the stuff of legend.

However, you'd not been prepared for him to be so ridiculously attractive. 

"Spencer! Come here." Hotch says "The new recruit starts today."

When he walks over, you go almost still in shock. He was tall, intimidatingly so; but the soft curls of his hair contradicted that. He wore dress trousers, and a flattering dark purple shirt. You shook your head trying to clear the confusing fog you were in. It was definitely inconvenient for him to be so damn handsome.

"I'm Doctor Spencer Reid. It's nice to meet you, Hotch has told us a lot about you."

"It's nice to meet you too." You smile, stepping forward to shake his hand eagerly.

However, Spencer refuses you. Instead he raises his hand to give you an awkward wave.

"Not a fan of handshakes?." You ask him with a confused smile.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be rude. The number of pathogens passed during a handshake is staggering. It's actually safer to kiss."

You let out a delighted laugh at this. He's undeniably adorable, with a low, hypnotic voice and an endearingly awkward demeanour. 

"Well if you insist." You smirk at him.

Before he has time to react, you close the gap between the two of you. You push yourself up onto the tips of your toes, and press a light kiss to his cheek. When you pull back, you see his face flushed a dark shade of red.

"I didn't mean...I wasn't trying to imply." Spencer stutters awkwardly "I wasn't saying you should kiss me."

"You didn't like it?" You tease, unable to take the grin off your face. You know what you just did wasn't work appropriate behaviour, but you couldn't help yourself. You've always been a flirtatious person, and the young doctor seemed to have brought out the worst in you.

"No!" He says loudly, before taking another step back from you. "It's just... You see... Well, I'm-."

"That'll be all Reid." Interrupts Hotch, dismissing the young Doctor. Once Spencer is gone, Hotch turns to you with an unimpressed look on his face.

"That was inappropriate." He chastises.

"I was simply greeting my new co worker." You say innocently.

"I know you better than that. You might have been a wild child growing up, but you can't act like that here. Whilst relationships between co workers aren't forbidden, they are discouraged. In our line of work, it only ever makes things complicated."

"Sorry Hotch" You reply guilty. "I was only messing with him."

"Joke around all you want. But you need to promise me you won't date him. Understood?."

"Understood Sir, I promise not to date Spencer Reid.

-

Your promise to Hotch lasts less than four months.

At first, you had done your best to avoid Spencer. For your first few weeks, you only interacted with him in a professional group setting. You avoided one on one time with him, knowing you needed some time to get over your crush on him.

It works pretty well at first. Hotch never sends the two of you on assignments together. And when the team gets together outside of work, it's typically as a group. 

Then, there comes a night when the two of you are forced together. You were supposed to be meeting Spencer, Emily and Morgan for dinner. But when you showed up, it was just Spencer.

"Looks like it's just going to be the two of us tonight." He had smiled at you upon arrival. "Emily's Mom showed up unexpectedly, and Derek was feeling under the weather."

"So it'll just be me and you?" You ask worriedly. The restaurant was nice, and you feared it would feel like a date.

"Unless you don't want to." He replied, seeming sad "I mean, you've not wanted to spend much time with me anyway, especially out of work."

His disappointed expression hurt your heart. You'd wanted to maintain a professional distance from him, but had never intended to upset him.

"No!" You'd all but shouted "I want to. It'll be nice."

He'd smiled happily at this, and had pulled out your chair in excitement. As you'd sat down, there had only been one thought in your head.

I am so screwed.

-

The not an actual date, dinner date had made your crush even worse. Spencer was truly fascinating, and an excellent listener. The time you spent with him made you fall even harder, and you now knew staying away from him would be impossible.

Whilst Spencer was a certified genius, the two of you shared a lot in common. You had a shared coffee addiction, and both enjoyed classical music. He'd read almost every one of your favourite books, and the ones he had not, he had gone out and purchased the next day. You knew he'd make an amazing boyfriend, but you didn't want to disappoint Hotch. So you had decided that maybe just being his friend wouldn't be so bad.

Of course, just as you'd built a new resolve, Spencer had brought it crashing down.

The two of you had both suffered a boring day of paperwork, and had gone back to his place to relax. You'd ordered Chinese food, and had put on a new Russian history documentary you'd both been looking forward to watching. Yet, for once, he hadn't seemed interested. You could feel his gaze on you, analysing your every movement. 

"What the hell Spence?!." You snapped "Is there something on my face?"

"What? No."

"Then why do you keep staring at me?!"

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"I can't seem to stop thinking about kissing you." He admits, in a soft whisper.

His confession leaves you startled. You'd always imagined that your crush was one sided.

"Spencer... I..."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, it's not appropriate."

Before he can further apologise, you use your lips to silence him. The kiss is soft, and tentative. Both of you are unsure, and curious to see one another's reactions. You pull back slightly to look at him.

"The first day we met? I would have done this if I didn't think Hotch would fire me on the spot."

Spencer chuckles at this "Well, I certainly wouldn't have minded."

He grins mischievously before pulling you in for a second kiss. This time he's more certain of his actions. You feel his hands wrap themselves firmly around the bad of your neck. You allow your body to sink into his. The kiss is passionate and insistent; it's like all your fantasies come to life. You run your hands through his curls. When he bites down on your lower lip, you tug at the strands of his hair, eliciting a groan from him. 

Reluctantly, you pull away from him, in order to address your fears. "Look Spencer, I like you. I really do. But if we're going to do this, it needs to be a secret. Nobody can know, okay? Hotch told me to stay away from you."

Spencer nods his head in understanding. He gently kisses the space between your eyebrows.

"It'll be our secret, I promise."

-

Dating Spencer is everything and nothing like you had imagined.

Three months into your relationship and you're hopelessly in love with him. You're too afraid to say it out loud, worried it's too early for you to admit.

But the more time you spend with your boyfriend, the more you start to suspect that's he's as in love with you as you are him. You do your best not to profile him, but still, it's hard not to take his actions as ways of saying "I love you.

-

The first time you feel Spencer's love through his actions, it's 4am at his apartment.

For the past two weeks, you'd been working a case in Maryland. The unsub had been killing female victims who were your age, and had your hair and eye colour. This had meant you were the perfect bait for him.

However, the mission had turned sideways, and you'd ended up being kidnapped by the unsub. The team had, of course, found you in time. But the unsub had frightened and hurt you.

"I don't know what I would've done if I'd have lost you today." Spencer mumbles into your shoulder, the two of you are wrapped up together in bed.

"Well you don't have to find out." You tease lightly, before sombrely adding "I wasn't in any danger Spence. I knew the team would save me. I knew you would save me." 

"I'm so sorry I didn't get there sooner."

"These things happen. There's nothing to be sorry for. Let's just go to sleep, tomorrow's a new day."

Sleep doesn't come easy to you that night; and when you finally drift off, it doesn't last for long. Your dreams are plagued by the memory of the unsub. You see his empty eyes staring into yours, and you wake up shaking, covered in sweat.

"Hey it's okay. You're okay. You're home." Spencer whispers, he's sat up now, and has you wrapped in his arms.

"Spencer, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." You apologise. You're embarrassed for him to see you like this. You've had nightmares before, but this is the first time you've disturbed your boyfriends sleep.

"Don't apologise. You have no reason to be sorry. What was your nightmare about?"

"I was back in that room, with the unsub, and this time, no one came to save me."

"It's alright, just relax. You're safe, I'll keep you safe, I promise." He says gently, and it makes your heart ache.

He's holding you tightly, and stroking your hair. It's comforting and helps ease the tension in your body. "What can I do?." He asks.

"This is good." You say "Just keep holding me. Please."

"Of course. Whatever you need. Go to sleep, and I'll watch over you."

You sleep soundly for the rest of the night, in your boyfriends arms. When you wake, you see that he's kept his promise. You look up and see he's still awake.

"Did you sleep?" You ask.

"No. I didn't want to." He shrugs, like its no big deal "I told you I'd watch over you. And I wanted to be awake in case you had another nightmare

"But Spencer, you need sleep." You say in disbelief. You can't believe he'd done that for you.

"I don't mind." He whispers, and you can see he's telling the truth.

His words sound like love.

-

You sit at your desk, exhaustion running through your body. Paper work has always been one of your worst enemies. Combine that with a lack of sleep, and you're not having the best day. 

You stare blankly at the documents in front of you and groan in frustration. You get out of your seat, and head toward the kitchen in search of coffee.

When you get close, you hear the sounds of Derek and Spencer.

"Oh come on man! You went to the bakery, and didn't buy me a chocolate chip muffin? I'm hurt." Derek says.

"There was only one left." Spencer says, and you can practically feel him rolling his eyes at Derek. "And they're my favourite."

"They're my favourite as well! Can't I have half?" He pleads.

"Nope. Not happening. Get your own."

When you walk into the kitchen, you watch as Derek leaves, muttering curse words under his breath. You let out a small giggle at his anger.

"Hey Babe!" You greet him. The sight of your boyfriend already putting you in a good mood. "Coffee?"

"Please." He replies, smiling back happily at you. 

You sit down at the table with him, two cups of coffee in hand. You take a large gulp, and your stomach lets out a loud noise in protest. Your body isn't happy with the fact that you've only had coffee, and nothing else, all day.

"Have you eaten today?" He worries.

"Didn't have time. But I'm not really hungry." You lie.

Spencer shakes his head, not impressed with your answer. He grabs a knife, and cuts the chocolate chip muffin in half, before sliding it to you.

"Eat this." He demands, "And don't tell Derek."

You're surprised at the action. Those chocolate chip muffins really are his favourite, and he's never been known to share them. You feel bad that he's giving half of it up because you were too busy to make yourself breakfast this morning.

You think about refusing it, but Spencer wouldn't accept that. So instead you eat the delicious treat, and feel the pains in your stomach disappear.

You savour the chocolate chip muffin; it tastes like love.

-

You stand at the bar, ready for your sixth or maybe seventh drink of the night (you'd lost count pretty early on.) The drinks you've already had have definitely taken effect on you. The room slightly spins, and your legs feel a little unsteady.

"Come on babe! One drink can't hurt!" You whine to your boyfriend. He's only drank soda tonight, but you want to see him loosen up.

"Actually, one alcoholic beverage does a lot more damage to your body than you'd actually think. In fact-"

"I'm too drunk to understand facts at the moment. Sorry Doc. Just have a drink, and tell me in the morning."

"I'm not having any drinks, not one. One of us needs to be sober." He says, gesturing to the rest of the team. Your friends are all in varying disastrous states.

"But I want you to have fun!"

"I'm always having fun when I'm with you." He says seriously.

"Awww! You're sweet, you know that right? You're like, the cutest guy ever?" You say, giggling, even though no jokes have been told.

"Just cute?" He pouts.

"Not just cute." You say, words slightly slurred "You're hot as well. Like stupidly hot. I mean, I could write a whole book on how hot you are. Not just like, regular hot, like the kind of hot that seems unreal. I mean, I could promise you that any girl in here would go home with you tonight."

You watch in delight as your boyfriends face turns bright red at your rambling. He shifts uncomfortably "Wow, you really are drunk." He laughs.

"Nope! I have the hottest boyfriend in the world. And I'd say that sober."

"Don't think I won't hold you to that."

"I'd rather you hold something else against me." You say salaciously, stepping closer to him. You grab his tie, and pull at it, so that his lips are close enough to kiss. You press your lips to him, drinking in the delicious scent of him.

He pulls back too quickly "What are you doing? The team still don't know about us?! Anyone could see!." He says, voice high with panic.

If you were sober, you would have shared his panic. However, Penelope had made you have tequila shots earlier on. And well, tequila made you all kinds of stupid.

"Lighten up babes! No ones looking." You attempt to kiss him again, but he steps away, creating distance between you two.

You pout at this "No fair! I want a kiss!" You say, too loudly.

Spencer groans in frustration. "I think it's time we leave. I'll tell the team I'm driving you home. Don't move." 

You barley remember the car ride home. One minute you're in the club, the next you're in bed at your apartment.

"You'll stay tonight, won't you?." You say to him, eyes wide and pleading.

"If you want."

"I always want you to stay with me. We should, like, just be together all the time. Why do we even have separate apartments? That's stupid. I thought you were a genius. It's not very smart that we live apart. You should just move in here. Or I'll move in with you. Or we can get a new place. Or we could buy a house! How fun would that be! We could have a trampoline. Or a bouncy castle?. Ooooh! We could get a dog? How cute would that be...?"

"Babe." Spencer cuts you off, a soft look on his face "You're too drunk to ask me to move in. Try again another day. If you even remember."

"I'll remember." You promise, before yawning loudly and settling into sleep.

The next morning you wake up alone, with a painful headache. You check your phone to see a message from Spencer. He'd gotten up early to go home and change before work.

You're reminded of your conversation last night. You'd remembered how Spencer seemed happy at your suggestion of moving in together. You might have been drunk when you said it, but you had to admit, it did make a lot of sense.

You get up and dread getting ready for work. You groan in the realisation that you were too drunk to remember to take off your makeup. You'd worn a full face last night. Sleeping in makeup was one of your worst habits, and it always made your skin break out in spots.

You look in the mirror. You're groggy and confused. You had assumed that your skin would be a mess. It's surprising to see that your face was clean. You smile, realising that your boyfriend must have taken it off for you.

Your reflection is a sight to be seen. Your hair is a mess, and your eyes are tired. But for once, your skin is clear. In fact, it even feels soft, like he'd taken the time to moisture your face for you. 

You run your fingers across the soft skin of your cheek; it feels like love.

-

You arrive at work a good 15 minutes late. When you see that Spencer isn't at his desk, you set off towards the kitchen in search of him.

When you walk in, his face lights up in amusement at your appearance. "Running late?."

"I feel like I'm dying." You grumble. Your eyes catch the fresh cup of coffee he'd just made himself "If you don't give me that coffee, then I'm going to have to break up with you." 

"Well in that case..." He sighs, handing the cup over to you. You breath the smell in and let out a satisfied moan.

"You're the best." You smile.

"Apparently I'm also the hottest boyfriend in the world." He teases.

"Laugh it up. I'm not taking that back."

"So you remember what you said to me last night then?." He asks, suddenly seeming nervous.

You look around the room, and close the kitchen door, hoping you won't be interrupted. You close the gap between you and Spencer, and you kiss him deeply.

"I meant every word." You whisper into his ear "I want us to live together."

His whole body relaxes, and he grins happily at you "I was worried you were only saying that because you were drunk. I'm glad you meant it; there's nothing I want more."

"Good. Cause I'd be really embarrassed about last night if you didn't."

"You do realise what this means though, right?." 

You sigh in realisation, and bury your face into the crook of his neck to muffle your groan. "We have to tell the team don't we?."

"Unfortunately, yes. If we're living together, then they're bound to figure it out."

"Can we tell them tomorrow." You plead "I'm too exhausted to deal with that right now."

He laughs and kisses your forehead fondly "Sure thing. Tomorrow it is."

-

Tomorrow comes quicker than you'd have liked.

You try to convince Spencer to let you keep the secret for a little while longer, but he's insistent. So first thing that morning, the two of you walk side by side into Hotch's office.

"Has JJ called a briefing?." Hotch asks when he sees you both.

"No." You say, trying to portray confidence "Spencer and I have something we'd like to discuss with you."

Hotch's eyes narrow in suspicion "Sit down then." He gestures to the seats across from his desk.

There's an awkward moment of silence. You and Spencer look at one another uncomfortably. You probably should've rehearsed what you were going to say before doing this.

"So what's this about?." Hotch asks.

Spencer starts "Well. We're here to discuss something important with you. It's important that you hear us out, and give us a fair chance to explain. You see, according to the bureau's handbook, page 153, article 5, employee relations are actually-".

"Spencer and I are dating!" You blurt out, wanting to get the conversation over with. "Sorry." You whisper to your boyfriend.

"I see." Hotch says, leaning back on his chair, "And how long has this been going on?."

"About six months." Spencer says, not being able to hide his dopey smile at the mention of your relationship.

"Are you mad at me?." You ask Hotch, scared of his reply. He's known you for a long time, and had always been a parental figure to you. You hated the idea of him disapproving of the relationship.

"I'm not mad at either of you. I am, however... concerned. I don't want this to effect your ability to do your jobs."

"It hasn't for the past six months." You point out.

"I know. But the more serious the two of you get, the more it will. If one of you gets into danger, the other may act irrationally."

"I can control my emotions, and so can Spencer. You have to know that."

"And if you can't?."

"Well then you can fire me." You snap, feeling your temper flare. You didn't like the implication that you were the type of person who'd let personal drama impose on your professional life. "But at the moment, both Spencer and I have done our job as well as we've ever done it. I promise our relationship will not change that."

"And if you two break up? What then. Which one of you will transfer out?"

"We won't be breaking up anytime because we're in love." Spencer says simply "At least, I'm in love with her. I'm not sure if she does feel the same way, but I'm hopeful.

You go still at his confession. A mixture of shock and happiness runs though you. "Spence," You whisper, "Of course I'm in love with you. I have been for a while now, I was just worried you'd think it was too early for me to say it."

"That's what I thought" He admits, a soft smile on his face "I'm sorry I waited so long to say it. And I'm sorry the first time I said it was in front of Hotch."

You look back at your supervisor, for a brief moment you'd forgotten he was in the room with you both. You expect him to look annoyed, or at least uncomfortable with the confession. Yet he actually looks pleased.

"I'm sorry for forcing that confession. I didn't realise it was this serious between the two of you. I'd thought it was, I don't know, a bit more casual. But I have to say, it's nice to see two of my agents happy together."

"You really mean that?." You ask.

"I do. I'm sorry if I seemed disappointed, but you have to understand that it's part of the job."

"It's fine." Spencer reassures. "Thank you for listening."

-

The rest of the day passes in a blur. Once you've told Hotch, you tell the rest of the team.

Penelope squeals in excitement; Emily hugs you both; Derek makes inappropriate jokes; JJ's eyes get misty with happiness; and Rossi says he'd called it from day one.

The team insists on celebrating, and so after work, you all end up at Rossi's house for dinner. Bottles of wine are passed around, as the two of you tell the story of how you got together.

As the evening continues, the team gets a little more than tipsy. Everyone sits in the living room, and you're practically sat in Spencer's lap. It's nice; being able to act like a couple in front of your friends.

"What a day." Spencer comments, his lips close to your ear, his words only for you.

"I know. I'm so glad they know now."

"Me too." He sighs in contentment.

You stare at your loving boyfriend, and you feel complete, sat close to him, amongst the people you call family.

"Can I ask you something?." He says, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Sure."

"Do we really need to get a trampoline for our new place?"

You groan in embarrassment as you recall all the stupid things you'd said to him while drunk. "A trampoline? No. But I was serious about getting a dog. I want one, not now, but one day."

"One day." He agrees.

"But for now, I'd settle for just moving into your place."

"Really? You'd sell your apartment?."

"I would yeah. I mean yours is closer to work. And it's bigger. And well... That's where we had our first kiss." You point out shyly.

"I'll live wherever you want." He promises.

"Okay." You smile. "Then let's go home."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos and comments make me smile :)
> 
> Come say hi to me on [Tumblr](https://turquoisetopazz.tumblr.com)  
> I'm currently accepting prompts!


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